No End In Sight As South Thai Rebellion Enters Fifth Year

[sriracha john]

As if that wasn't enough, there was more today...

Insurgents bomb rail line, two injured

In Narathiwat province, assailants embedded a 5 kilogram explosive device in foliage near a railway in Joh Ai Rong district. The detonation of the device was timed to coincide with the passing of Task Force and injured 2 officers.

ThaiNews / 24-04-08

[sriracha john]

Policemen inspect bodies of five workers in a car after attacks by the militants in Thailand's Pattani province, south of Bangkok April 24, 2008. Suspected militants in Thailand's south killed five Buddhist construction workers and wounded another in a roadside ambush on Thursday, police said.

REUTERS

[sriracha john]

Violence on Anniversary of Krue Se Mosque Massacre

A militant gang torched a local business on the 4th anniversary of the militant massacre at Pattani's Krue Se Mosque yesterday.

To mark the anniversary of the insurgent massacre at the Pattani's Krue Se Mosque four years ago, militants staged violence in the area yesterday, torching a local wood industrial factory in tambon Tuyong in Nong Chick District.

Authorities reveal that the militants also shot out an electricity generator in tambon Pasa-ngo in the same district, causing a blackout in the village.

The authorities spent more than half an hour extinguishing the blaze at the Namchareon Wood Industrial Factory after the militant gang torched the plant. A battle ensued 500 meters from the blaze, shortly after the police military force began a manhunt for the arsonists. There are no reports of injuries.

Factory owner Alongkorn Saepang revealed that he and his family were staying at a house near the factory. He heard a dog barking and went out to find a group of four setting fire to the factory.

Alongkorn said the militant gang also fired shots before the team made off. The authorities believe the rebels were attempting to stir up violence in the area.

The authorities in Nong Chik's tambon Pasa-ngo revealed that the militant gang also opened fire on an electricity generator automatic controller, causing a blackout in the village.

At the same time, Assistant to the National Police Chief, Police Lieutenant General Wut Puwawes, presided over a scholarship-granting ceremony today at Pattani's CS Hotel. 34 scholarships were given to children of police officers who died on duty in the restive South.

The police lieutenant-general states that he's concerned about the well-being of the families of the brave police officers who died on duty in the unrest and aims to visit them to offer moral support. The National Police Chief's assistant will later travel to the Pattani Provincial Hospital and deliver money to support local residents and officials who have suffered injured from violent incidents and are recuperating at the hospital.

- Thailand Outlook (today)

[sriracha john]

3 killed, 5 injured in the latest...

A policeman walks near a destroyed police vehicle in southern Thailand's Pattani province April 30, 2008. A roadside bomb exploded, killing three police officers and injuring three other police officers and two villagers, police said.

REUTERS

[sriracha john]

Suspected separatists kill three in Thailand's deep South

Pattani, Thailand - Suspected separatists killed three people and injured five others in attacks Wednesday, coming on the heels of the fourth anniversary of the Thai military's attack on a sacred mosque in Pattani, once an independent Islamic sultanate.

In the first incident, unknown assailants attacked a ten-wheel truck in Saiburi district, Pattani, killing its driver and injuring a second man, at 9:10 am.

At 1:40 pm a bomb was detonated under an army truck in Yarang district, Pattani killing two soldiers and injuring two others. Two civilians were also injured in the road blast.

"We think the attacks were designed to create turmoil after the anniversary of the attack on Krue Se Mosque," said Saiburi Police Lieutenant Colonel Sakaliya Usoe.

On April 28, 2004, Thai soldiers attacked the centuries-old Krue Se Mosque in Pattani, where Muslim militants had taken shelter after launching an attack on government officials.

Altogether 32 suspected militants died in the Krue Se assault, which also left the sacred site badly damaged.

The Khue Se incident is often cited as an example of how Thailand has mishandled the separatist insurgency in the deep South, comprising Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala provinces.

Another notorious incident occurred in October, 2004, when Thai authorities cracked down on a demonstration in Tak Bai, Narathiwat, and rounded up hundreds of suspects who were trucked to a nearby army base for detention and interrogation.

Some 85 of the suspects, packed one on top of another like lumber, suffocated en route to the army base, sparking international outrage and fueling the region's resentment against Bangkok rule.

More than 3,000 people have fallen victim to clashes, explosions, beheadings and assassinations in the three-province region since early 2004.

- DPA (today)

[sriracha john]

Men carry an injured police officer as they arrive at a hospital in Thailand's Pattani province, south of Bangkok April 30, 2008.

Reuters

[Scott]

The guy in the yellow shirt should find a better place to hold on to while lifting this poor guy.

I read the other day that they caught another soldier who was involved in a bombing. I think it was in the BKK Post.

[phetpeter]

I look at the photos and read the news, and I am begining to think a bunch of girl guides selling cookies could do better!

Why in the photos are only a handful of miltary and police wearing what look like knife vests not body armour? very few have helmets. Why are they not holding perimeters. Where are the radios? why if they are what is being used to set of bombs and corodinate attacks, are bot all mobile phone masts TURNED OFF except for emergency calls to 911. 15+ yrs ago they didnt have mobiles so I am sure for a year they can live without them??

And what are 7 policeman doing the rounds in ONE OPEN BACK pickup????? 2 or 3 vichles with some amour and perhaps bullet proof windows 50 to 100 meters apart would be safer. The purchase and fitting to all vehicles of a mobile radio scambler with a radius os 300 metetrs would be that expensive. ( I am sure if Thailand can't copy China can!)

Finally where are the SAD Search and defend helicopters??? You need them in this type of warfare,

Get them from the Amercians, UN etc..

For gods sake the army is still using vehicles from MASH movies, and second hand Humvies.

The UN I think have a special deal with Toyota?

Edited May 1, 2008 by peterandcat

[TAWP]

A handfull of CV9030 or SISUs would boost the military's action power and protection considerably.

[sriracha john]

Bomb Attack at Mosque in Pattani Kills 2, Injures 7

Militants threw a bomb into a mosque in Pattani province while a religious ceremony was underway, killing two and injuring seven.

Militants threw a bomb into the Allahsoh Mosque in Nongjik district of Pattani province while locals were conducting their prayer ritual, instantly killing Magaree Bohkoh at the scene and injuring eight.

One of the three patients receiving treatment at the Pattani Hospital, Waekaji Jaehamah , has succumbed to his injuries and died late last night.

Meanwhile, militants also opened fire on the tambon Borthong defense volunteer center in the same district, killing defense volunteer Bandit Kasiwut and injuring his colleague Pak Rungruengkij.

Following the two incidents, Deputy Pattani Governor Nattapol Wichienprert led a force of more than 40 military and police officers in armored vehicles to check the crime scene.

Deputy Pattani Provincial Police Commander, Colonel Jeerawat Udomsud gave three possible reasons behind the bomb attack at the mosque. It could be a diversion for the authorities in their pursuit of the attackers at the defense volunteer center, revenge for the arrest of wanted militant Manawee Pula, or just a dropping of a bomb by mistake by a militant.

The authorities will process the crime scene and evidence again to determine the real reason for the bombing.

The authorities believe the militants coordinated the two attacks to occur close to each other. They will try to figure out which group is behind the attack.

- Thailand Outlook / 02-05-08

[sriracha john]

Local politician killed in drive-by shooting in Yala

Yala - A Tambon Administrative Organisation member was killed in a drive-by shooting in this southern border province Saturday police said.

Sama-ae Sau, 47, a member of Tambon Lummai Administrative Organization, was shot and killed by a pillion rider in front of his own house in Thung Kha village of the tambon at 10:35 am.

The shooting occurred while he was buying rubber milk from local villagers.

- The Nation (today)

[Scott]

I am always quite suspicious of those bombings that occur at mosques. Do they ever catch those bombers. I have heard about the idea of dividing people, making the locals scared--but I wonder just who else would be likely suspects.

[sriracha john]

Insurgents wound teenager in South

Suspected insurgents critically wounded a 19-year-old villager in the southern province of Yala on Saturday morning. The victim is identified as Makreebee Haneesu. He was reportedly riding a motorcycle to a rubber plantation in the Raman district when two men on a motorcycle chased him. He was rushed to

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/b...s.php?id=127456

[apetley]

I look at the photos and read the news, and I am begining to think a bunch of girl guides selling cookies could do better!

Why in the photos are only a handful of miltary and police wearing what look like knife vests not body armour? very few have helmets. Why are they not holding perimeters. Where are the radios? why if they are what is being used to set of bombs and corodinate attacks, are bot all mobile phone masts TURNED OFF except for emergency calls to 911. 15+ yrs ago they didnt have mobiles so I am sure for a year they can live without them??

And what are 7 policeman doing the rounds in ONE OPEN BACK pickup????? 2 or 3 vichles with some amour and perhaps bullet proof windows 50 to 100 meters apart would be safer. The purchase and fitting to all vehicles of a mobile radio scambler with a radius os 300 metetrs would be that expensive. ( I am sure if Thailand can't copy China can!)

Finally where are the SAD Search and defend helicopters??? You need them in this type of warfare,

Get them from the Amercians, UN etc..

For gods sake the army is still using vehicles from MASH movies, and second hand Humvies.

The UN I think have a special deal with Toyota?

Yes thats the way it should be done.

Unfortunately here there is a lack of leadership, skills and resources which is why you see untrained soldiers riding around in pickups.

Don't expect any changes soon either as the political will is just not there right now.

The money to buy all the equipment required is certainly not there either.

[sriracha john]

The already horrendous situation is worsening....

Militants launch attacks across the Deep South

One person was killed and at least 16 others injured as militants launched a series of attacks at nearly 20 locations throughout the restive south on Sunday night and yesterday morning, military spokesman Acra Thiproch said yesterday.

The most serious attack took place in front of the Muang Narathiwat district chief's residence, injuring a dozen people including three teenage girls who were enjoying an annual Red Cross fair organised in the nearby area.

The string of violent incidents began at 6pm on Sunday as one of two men on a motorbike wounded two people in a gun attack in Pattani's Yaring district. An unknown number of militants in a pickup then launched a gun attack and injured a local resident in Pattani's Kapho district at about 6.45pm. Some 20 minutes later another group injured a government official in an attack in the province's Thung Yang Daeng district.

At about 10pm militants attacked a police outpost in Ban Kesame and a checkpoint in Narathiwat's Rangae district. Some 30 minutes later a bomb exploded under electric power poles in the same district. There was no report of casualties in either incident.

Yesterday morning, a farmer was shot dead while driving a motorbike home in Yala province. Prason Saelaeng, 48, died instantly.

- The Nation / May 6, 2008

[sriracha john]

Series of Violence Hits South

The rebels staged a series of violent attacks in Pattani and Narathiwat, torching a car showroom and detonating a bomb, injuring 12.

Yesterday evening, an unknown gang of rebels threw stones through a glass panel of the Nissan Car Showroom of the Siam Nissan Pattani Distributor in Donrak Sub-District in Pattani's Koakpoh District. The rebels then ensued in a torching which damaged 5 cars in the showroom.

The authorities extinguished the blaze before it spread widely. The investigation indicated that the gang used flax bags as fuel material.

Meanwhile, in Narathiwat province, a blast went off at the Red Cross Festival hosted at the Narathiwat Ratchanakarin Park. The explosion injured 12 locals. The blast spot was not far from the house of Narathiwat Deputy Governor Tanon Wetchakornkanont.

The military police team dispatched to examine the case said that the rebels planted a 2 kilogram bomb in a metal case and dropped it near the Deputy Governor's house. The rebels detonated the bomb by using a digital clock program on a wristwatch.

The injured victims were mostly locals who were in the audience at the festival and were rushed to the Provincial hospital.

The authorities further revealed that the rebel gang also staged a series of violent attacks in many other areas in the province. The gang torched 6 shelters on the road in Takbai District.

In Rangae District, the rebels staged gunfire attacks on 4 military police operational bases.

The Ruesor Uppathum School in Ruesor District was set on fire and suffered damages. Authorities reported that the rebels set fire in 2 spots on the local roads in Bacho District and opened fire on peace-development centers in Cho-Airong district.

- Thailand Outlook / 5 May 2008

[sriracha john]

Suspects in Red Cross fair blast arrested

Five suspects have been arrested in connection with a bomb blast that injured 12 people at a Red Cross fair in Narathiwat. The suspects, whose identities were withheld, were spotted at the fair when the bomb went off at around 10pm on Sunday night. Police were holding them for interrogation. The bombing was one of 20 near-simultaneous attacks, from ambushes on military bases to acts of arson, in seven districts of the restive province on the same night. Police said a time bomb with a digital timer kept in a steel box was placed in a rubbish bin close to the residence of Narathiwat Deputy Governor Thanon Wetkornkanon, which is near the park. The bombing led to the fair being shut down. Three girls were among the 12 injured. The Red Cross fair blast was followed by an explosion at a park near Princess of Narathiwat University which injured four soldiers on patrol yesterday morning. The blast tore apart the leg of a soldier. Another bomb attack targeted a patrol unit in Muang district at about 10 am. One soldier was injured, also in the leg. In a separate attack, Rangae District Chief Prakong Kongkaew and 10 other defence volunteers who were inspecting trouble spots in tambon Chalerm narrowly escaped a bomb that was set off shortly after their vehicle passed by. In Rueso district, a bomb disposal squad managed to defuse two bombs placed on Rueso-Narathiwat road. The devices had targeted soldiers carrying out a routine patrol on the road. At around noon, four soldiers were hurt in a bomb blast on Rueso-Yala road while inspecting suspicious-looking items placed near the roadside. A second bomb exploded shortly after a bomb disposal team rushed to the first blast scene, but nobody was harmed. In neighbouring Pattani, two villagers were wounded in a drive-by shooting in Yaring district on Sunday evening. Another villager sustained serious gunshot wounds in an attack in Thung Yang Daeng district on the same day. In Nong Chik district, a car showroom was damaged on Sunday night after eight vehicles were set ablaze. Army spokesman Acra Tiproch said a total of 16 attacks had taken place in Narathiwat and Pattani from Sunday night up until yesterday. Srisompob Chitpiromsri, Director of Intellectual Deep South Watch (IDSW), said a spate of violent attacks in the two provinces was a warning sign that violence would escalate in the troubled region.

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/06May2008_news10.php

[sriracha john]

Yet another depiction of Thailand to the world via international news...

from just one of the nearly 20 attacks this past weekend...

Police survey the damage to a car showroom in Pattani province, southern Thailand. Insurgents set fire to a Nissan showroom, damaging four pick-up trucks on Sunday evening, police said.

REUTERS

==============

"damaged" is a bit of an understatement IMHO

Edited May 6, 2008 by sriracha john

[apetley]

Yet another depiction of Thailand to the world via international news...

from just one of the nearly 20 attacks this past weekend...

Police survey the damage to a car showroom in Pattani province, southern Thailand. Insurgents set fire to a Nissan showroom, damaging four pick-up trucks on Sunday evening, police said.

REUTERS

==============

"damaged" is a bit of an understatement IMHO

You'd be surprised at what Somchais body shop can put right in next to no time.

[sriracha john]

Pornthip is being kept very busy....

Officials Attempt to Quell Recent Surge of Southern Violence

The 4th Region Army steps up its efforts to bring peace in the three Southernmost provinces and parts of Songkla after alleged insurgents orchestrated several successful attacks.

Meanwhile, forensic teams are joining an investigation of a separatist training camp officials were able to uncover in the Teway mountain range in Narathiwat province.

Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat, and four districts of Songkla province are experiencing heightened security. Special armed forces are patrolling roads leading to and from Batong district and the surrounding Sankara Keree mountains bordering Malaysia.

The extra security was ordered by the 4th Region Army after insurgents carried out orchestrated attacks throughout Narathiwat and Pattani provinces.

Intelligence reports suggest that insurgents are using the forestry mountain areas as refuge.

4th Army Commander Lieutenant General Wiroj Buajaroon has ordered his forces to keep a close eye on soft targets such as temples, schools, and banks within the next 48 hours.

Four districts of Songkla province are also on the watch list. They include Jana, Teypa, Natawee, and Sabayoy. Roads leading from the three Southern provinces into Hat Yai district are also being closely watched.

Meanwhile, a forensics team led by Khunying Pornthip Rojjanasunan from the Central Institute of Forensic Science joined in the investigation of a secluded training camp believed to be used in the training of insurgents. The camp, earlier uncovered by military officials, is located in the Teway mountains. The camp is reportedly bordered to several districts in Narathiwat province.

The camp was found during a special mission involving all armed forces including the National Police Office. Officials were able to apprehend 24 suspects in the raid.

Officials reveal that the camp sits on a rai of land surrounded by three caves. Structures in the camp are believed to be used as a command center, a kitchen and a training center. Weapons, armory, and medical supplies were found in the camp together with documents and garments containing symbols used by neighboring countries.

- Thailand Outlook (today)

Edited May 6, 2008 by sriracha john

[Scott]

Very sad news. Thanks for keeping us posted SJ.

[sriracha john]

Religious teacher shot dead in Yala

YALA, May 6 (TNA) – A Muslim religious teacher was gunned down in Yala early Tuesday morning.

Abdulmana Masae, 55, a religion teacher at Prateep Witthaya school was ambushed and shot in the head and torso by an unknown number of assailants. He died at the scene.

Mr. Abdulmana's family did not allow an autopsy, but brought the body for religious rites immediately.

Meanwhile, army chief Anupong Paochinda said that to prevent insurgent attacks, the authorities need more cooperation from local people to give tips.

However, at the same time he affirmed that security measures are on the right track and need not be changed.

Speaking about the redeployment of troops in October, he said the new troops will undergo an orientation programme for at least one month before moving to the southern region. They will be also taught about dialect, culture, and Islam before they will be dispatched to work.

Meanwhile, in Narathiwat, police tightened security in 13 districts after the two-hour blackout in the province last night.

[sriracha john]

Buddhist worker killed in drive-by shooting in Yala

Yala - A Buddhist worker was killed in a drive-by shooting in this southern border province Wednesday morning. Wichai Sringarm, 40, was shot by a pillion rider in Muang district at 8:15am while riding his motorcycle to work.

His wife and 4-year-old son, who were riding with him, escaped uninjured.

- The Nation

==========================================================================

5 Narathiwat districts blacked out by militants

Five districts in southernmost Narathiwat province have been left without electricity after militants sabotaged power poles and cut power lines in the restive south.

People in Tak Bai, Sungai Kolok, Sungai Padi, Waeng and Sukhirin have been in the dark since Monday after militants launched their attacks at several locations. The insurgents loosened screws at the base of electricity poles causing them to collapse - and cut power lines in the area.

As of Wednesday, authorities could not access the area but did expect to resume the power supply by lunch time Thursday, according to Niphon Narapitakkul, the Narathiwat deputy governor.

- The Nation

[sriracha john]

Southern Insurgents Continue with Campaign to Cause Chaos

Southern violence continues as insurgents shot and killed a village headman and one villager was shot dead. They also burned down an empty schoolhouse in attempts to cause unrest.

The shooting occurred at Tambon Talubor of Muang District in Pattani province. Suspected insurgents shot and killed 43 year-old Abduraman Sama, the village headman, and 59 year-old Rohim Damah, a local villager.

Authorities indicated that both were shot several times with rifles. They were riding a motorcycle back to the village before being ambushed by 6 insurgents. They died instantly.

Reports indicate that the village headman had once fallen victim to a shooting in 2007. He and his son were critically injured.

Meanwhile, insurgents set fire to an empty schoolhouse in Tambon Krawah of Ma Yor District. After approximately one hour, fire fighters were able to bring the blaze under control. The one story building housing eight classrooms was completely destroyed.

Authorities believe that insurgents were able to set fire to the building as it was left unattended during the summer break.

The school was scheduled to welcome back more than 200 students and 12 teachers when school reopens Friday. Now that the fire has left them without a schoolhouse, students will be forced to take their lessons in makeshift tents while it is decided if the building is repairable.

In an unrelated incident, eight military officers exchanged gunfire with a group of insurgents who ambushed them. After about ten minutes, the culprits fled the scene. No one was injured.

Meanwhile in Narathiwas province, officials from the Provincial Electricity Authority continue to repair damage caused by insurgents who have been on a campaign to create chaos in the area. They have been removing large steel bolts from high voltage electricity poles, causing them to fall.

- Thailand Outlook (today)

[sriracha john]

Samak needs to read this thread....

PM says violence in deep South has lessened

BANGKOK (TNA) - Affirming that the near-daily violence in Thailand's insurgency-affected southern has improved considerably, Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej said Sunday he did not want people living in the troubled region to abandon their homes.

Speaking during his weekly TV and radio address, Samak, also Defence Minister, said government officials were now trying to persuade residents of the restive South not to sell their properties and move elsewhere.

"I've told them that we should live together," said Samak, who made his first visit as prime minister to troubled Yala and Pattani provinces Saturday since taking office February 6.

Samak said he was briefed by senior officials working in the region during his Saturday visit and was told that the overall violence in Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat and four districts of Songkhla province had improved significantly in the past six months.

He again urged "misguided" insurgents operating in the deep South to surrender their arms and turn themselves in to government authorities, and affirmed that the government would continue to use peaceful approaches to solving problems of violence.

Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat bear the brunt of the continuing insurgency on an almost daily basis. Some 3,000 persons have been killed to date since renewed violence erupted in January 2004.

[sriracha john]

Police officer killed, 13 wounded in two southern bombings

NARATHIWAT, May 18 (TNA) One police officer was killed and 13 people were wounded in two bombings, one in Pattani and one in Narathiwat, on Saturday night.

A blast outside the Pattani police station killed Pol. Senior Sargeant Major Anon Suwanmanee and wounded five other police officers. The bomb was hidden in a motorcycle, parked opposite the police station.

In Narathiwat, a bomb hidden in a motorcycle parked at the market in front of the Sungai Kolok police station exploded on Saturday night, wounding eight people, including a Malaysian man.

Edited May 18, 2008 by sriracha john

[sriracha john]

by the by... lest we forget.... the South remains a critical issue...

A Thai soldier walks past the the body of a Muslim man who was killed while travelling through a rubber plantation in southern Thailand's Yala Province on June 19, 2008. The man, believed to be an army informant, was attacked by four men with M-16 rifles while taking his three-year-old son and wife to work, police said. His son also died in the shooting.

REUTERS

[sriracha john]

and more.... there's been no let up....

Two Policemen Killed, Five Others Severely Injured In Southern Thai Ambush

Two police officers were fatally injured and five others severely injured when insurgents ambushed a unit of joint civilian-police-military patrol unit in Thailand's southernmost province of Pattani, local media reported on Thursday.

The insurgents detonated a roadside bomb to ambush the unit on a village road in Pattani's Thung Yang Daeng district around midnight Wednesday, news network The Nation said.

The unit was returning to its base while it was attacked. After the bomb blast, the insurgents opened fire at the unit and the two sides exchanged gunfire for about 10 minutes before the insurgents retreated.

Two police officers died on their way to a hospital and another five were injured, the report said.

Thailand's three southernmost provinces -- Yala, Narathiwat and Pattani -- have been troubled with insurgency-related violence which has claimed more than 3,000 lives since it resumed in early 2004.

- Xinhua (23 minutes ago)

[sriracha john]

Blast in Pattani Kills 2 Police Officers

Rebels staged a road-side bomb attack in Pattani, killing two patrolling police officers last night.

A blast went off on road number 4092 in tambon Paku in Thung Yang Daeng District of Pattani Province as the Thung Yang Daeng District Police team was returning from investigating gunfire attacks at three military operation bases in the district.

The explosion killed two police officers, Police Lieutenant Narat Thepchalerm and Police Senior Sergeant Major Peerasak Sangsomboon. Narat was the deputy superintendent of investigation for the Thung Yang Daeng police station.

Five other police officers suffered injuries in the attack. They are, Police Sergeant Sayan Thongkhao, Police Sergeant Mahrawso Late, Police Sergeant Prasob Songthip, Police Corporal Somsak Thongthieng, and Police Lance Corporal Ekkachai Somkhampee. All are recuperating in hospital now.

The investigation indicates that the rebels planted a road-side bomb near the Bankhaodin Bridge and triggered it using a battery.

A funeral ceremony for the two officers was hosted at 3pm today at the temple in Pattani's city district.

Pattani Police Commander Police Major General Kreerin Inkhaew says the police bureau will promote ranks and increase the salaries for the two brave police officers who died in the incident. Police Lieutenant Narat will receive the rank of the Police Colonel and the Police Senior Sergeant Major Teerasak will receive the rank of Police Lieutenant.

All five of the injured officers will also receive a rank promotion.

- Thailand Outlook (today)

[sriracha john]

Chopper crashes in Yala, killing 10 on board

Yala - Engine problems caused a military helicopter to crash here on Friday afternoon, killing all 10 on board. "The helicopter was with the Southern Border Provinces Peace Building Command," says Colonel Akara Tiparoj.

The engine failed during a routine flight.

As well as crew, the helicopter was carrying six police forensics officers headed to a Bannang Sata military base that was raided by militants recently. Three suspects are in custody.

The command has recovered the 10 dead and the helicopter wreckage. The victims are Captain Pramote Purak, Lieutenant Rashen Sukha, Sergeant Major Ronnachit Kaewprasert, Sergeant Nopparat Worasen, Pol Capt Worapong Puttinin, Maneera Bantao, Captain Samart Palatphum, Sergeant Major Narin Nuanum, Sergeant Major Akradej Jantakul and Sergeant Taweesak Pongsapan.

- The Nation (today)

Edited June 21, 2008 by sriracha john